Quality Manual in 5 Days
from the questionnaire to the finished company and process manual – with twelve standard processes, sector templates, mandatory records and a sample manual
- 85–120 min
- 17 modules
- Free certificate
- No account needed
- Updated November 2026
👥 Target group: Quality managers and managing directors of small companies (1 to 50 employees) who want to write their documentation themselves, Companies that want to cut an outdated or overly thick manual down to a usable size
Which legal duty or standard requirement does this training cover?
About this training
This course shows how a company with 1 to 50 employees writes its ISO 9001 documentation in five working days – not as a mountain of paper, but as a combined company and process manual of 25 to 40 pages that the certification body recognises and that is really used in the company. The way follows five days: day 1 fill in the questionnaire and collect documents, day 2 context, interested parties and scope, day 3 process list, process map and process descriptions as tables, day 4 quality policy, objectives, organisation chart and roles, day 5 document control without stamps, mandatory records and the approval.
The method comes from more than 1,000 documentations created since 1994 and one principle: only what is practised in the company is described – not what the standard might wish for. In addition you get the twelve standard processes (five management and seven support processes) as finished tables, process descriptions for 13 sectors, a questionnaire, a policy sample, the complete list of mandatory records and a completed sample manual of the practice company Nordlicht IT Service (9 employees, fictitious). 17 modules, final test, certificate of participation with a verifiable number.
What this course covers — and what it does not: The course provides the method and the templates for the documentation of a small company; it does not replace the company's decision which procedures apply (for that the module “Procedures in your own company”), nor the parts of the QMS that separate courses of the Academy cover: objectives and risks, the order from enquiry to invoice, suppliers, people and measuring equipment, complaints and KPIs, management review and internal audit. Sector standards (ISO 13485, IATF 16949, EN 9100) and the standards 14001, 45001 and 27001 are not covered. The information on ISO 9001:2026 reflects the status at the time of writing. The practice company is fictitious. This is a translation of the German course for readers worldwide — in case of doubt the German edition applies.
Contents at a glance
- What a quality manual is today — and what the standard really requiresDocumented information under ISO 9001:2015 instead of a mandatory manual; the combined company and process manual for small companies with 25 to 40 pages; the twenty places where the standard requires documents
- The basic rule: only what is practised is describedWhy every manual fails at what it promises and does not keep; the doorstep rule; how to cut an overly thick manual down to what is practised; typical hot air from audits
- Day 1: The questionnaire — twelve sections from which the documentation emergesThe documentation questionnaire with twelve sections (company, products, customers, organisation, order flow, purchasing, staff, measuring equipment, complaints, objectives, filing, special features); how to fill it in in two hours
- Day 1: Collecting documents — what already exists is not written anewThe twelve documents almost every company already has (quotation template, terms and conditions, supplier list, organisation chart, inspection records …) and how they are only referenced in the manual; collection folder structure
- Day 2: Context and interested parties on one pageClauses 4.1 and 4.2 without consultant prose: external and internal issues as a table, interested parties with requirement and relevance; the link to risks and objectives
- Day 2: Wording scope and exclusions correctlyThe scope (4.3) as documented information: sentence structure, locations, products; which requirements may be non-applicable (design 8.3, customer property 8.5.3, measurement traceability 7.1.5.2) and how to justify the exclusion; what is on the certificate
- Day 3: Process list and process map — three levels, at most 15 processesManagement, value creation and support processes; the process map as a table instead of a graphic; process list with number, responsible person, KPI and document; how many processes a small company has
- Day 3: The process description as a table — one page per processThe four-field scheme per process (master data, flow as table no./activity/responsible/aids, input and output, notes); the value creation process as a swimlane with at most nine steps and exactly one check point; the twelve standard processes to adopt
- Day 3: Sector templates — what the value creation process looks like in 13 sectorsOrder processing as a sequence of steps for manufacturing, trades, retail, IT services, cleaning and building services, logistics, consulting, construction, electrical, medical technology retail, laboratory, training, repair; special features per sector at the check point
- Day 4: Quality policy and objectives — one page of policy, one table of objectivesThe four mandatory contents of the quality policy (5.2.1), management's statement of commitment, communication in the company; measurable quality objectives with responsible person, deadline and means (6.2); link policy → objectives → KPIs
- Day 4: Organisation chart, roles and deputies — roles instead of namesOrganisation chart as a table (role, duties, authorities, deputy); why no personal names are in the manual; the assignment person → role as a sheet of its own; responsibility of top management (5.3) without a mandatory management representative; the five-person company
- Day 5: Document control without stamps — filing, identification, changeControl of documented information (7.5.2, 7.5.3) for small companies: file name with status, footer, one folder structure, approval by filing, change register in the manual; retention periods; external documents (standards, customer drawings)
- Day 5: The mandatory records — what the standard wants to see retainedThe complete list of documented information required by ISO 9001:2015 (documents to be maintained and records to be retained) with clause, the document in a small company and the place; how the list gets into the manual
- Day 5: Review and approval — the manual test before the auditorThe checklist with 25 points before approval (completeness against the standard, practised test, consistency of scope/exclusions/processes, roles instead of names, references to templates, status and footer); approval by management; communication; 30-day run-in
- Case study: Nordlicht IT Service writes its manual in five daysPractice company Nordlicht IT Service (9 employees, IT services, fictitious): completed questionnaire, decision on 8.3 and 8.5.3, process list, value creation process, policy, organisation chart; three hidden errors in the draft; complete sample manual as download
- Records: What remains from the five days — and how the certification body reads itThe list of results of the five days (manual, process list, process pages, policy, objectives, organisation chart, filing, list of mandatory records, change register, meeting minutes); what the certification body does with it in the stage 1 audit; maintenance in the annual rhythm; rating grid
- Procedure in our companyProcedure in our company: contact person for quality questions, location of the manual, templates and records, approvals, fixed dates and next steps in the company
Frequently asked questions
Does ISO 9001 require a manual at all?
No. Since the 2015 edition the quality manual is no longer required; what is required is “documented information” at around twenty places. A combined company and process manual is nevertheless the simplest way for small companies, because it bundles all required documents in one place and the certification body finds them there.
How thick does the manual have to be?
For a company with 5 to 50 employees typically 25 to 40 pages including the process descriptions. Everything beyond that is not read and becomes outdated. Every page nobody in the company needs is a risk in the audit.
Are five days realistic?
Yes, if the boss or quality manager blocks three to four hours per day and the documents (organisation chart, supplier list, quotation template, complaint examples) are collected beforehand. The five days do not have to be consecutive; two weeks of calendar time are usual.
What about the twelve standard processes?
Five management and seven support processes that run almost the same in every small company (management review, risks, audit, actions, training, purchasing, goods receipt, complaint, supplier evaluation, maintenance, measuring equipment …). You get them as finished tables and adapt only the column “responsible”. The value creation process – your order from enquiry to invoice – is the only one you describe yourself.
May I write names into the manual?
Better not. Roles (management, quality manager, sales, production) instead of persons – otherwise you have to change the manual at every change of staff. The assignment person → role is written once in the organisation chart.
Is the course free?
Yes, like all courses of the QM-Guru Academy. No registration; the e-mail address is used only to deliver the certificate.
Which edition is this?
The English-language edition of our German course "Das QM-Handbuch in 5 Tagen", written for readers worldwide; retention periods and statutory inspections are described in general terms – check the law of your country. The downloadable templates are currently in German; English versions will follow. In case of doubt the German edition applies.